Accusing Jesus

Intro

Was Jesus ever falsely accused? Purpose: Did He face vilification? Plan: Let’s look at how Jesus handled unfair criticism in Mark 3:20-35.

Is our Faith Crazy?

Are Christians nuts because of their self-sacrifice?

Mark 3:20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

Christian service involves self-sacrifice. Is it unbalanced or crazy? Did Jesus’ family think so?

Mark 3:21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind.’

For those who believe that Mary never sinned, is this verse difficult to explain?

Is our Faith Evil?

Is Christianity itself evil, because it often contradicts worldly values?

Mark 3:22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebub [Beelzebul],’ and, ‘By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.’”

Some translations use the word Beelzebub (lord of flies). The original word was Beelzebul (lord of dung), a Jewish insult for the devil. How did Jesus defend Himself against this false accusation?

Mark 3:23 So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: ‘How can Satan cast out Satan?

Flippantly attributing the work of God to the devil is perilously close to the unforgivable sin, as we will discover. Have even some Christians misjudged the things of God?

Mark 3:24-25 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.

Does Jesus explain how illogical it would be for the devil to cast out demons?

Mark 3:26 No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.’”

The “goods” here would be human souls held as property or possessions, slaves to the devil. Did Jesus bind or tie up the devil to free a captive?

Religious Accusers

It really hurts when people, that we trusted, stab us in the back. But, Jesus understands. When accusations come, let’s pray for those who accuse us because they may be unwittingly doing the devil’s work. The real source may be the “accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10).

In Mark 3:28 Jesus said, “‘Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;

Which sin is unforgivable?

Mark 3:29-30 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation’— 30 because they said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’

Because they falsely accused the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus as being that of the devil, they were dangerously close to the unforgivable sin. That’s a warning for any with a critical spirit, tempted to falsely accuse the work of the Holy Spirit on earth.

Family Accusers

It really hurts when family members stab us in the back or walk away because of our faith. But, Jesus understands.

Mark 3:31-32 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.’

It seems that Mary was also seeking him, thinking like His brothers and sisters that He was crazy. What if our faith distances us from our physical family?

Our Spiritual Family

Jesus reminds us, “29 … Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30)

Jesus’ physical family did eventually come to conversion later. What does Jesus remind the disciples about family?

Mark 3:33-35 But He answered them, saying, ‘Who is My mother, or My brothers?’ 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.’

Our human families may not yet understand the spiritual bond we Christians share. That is why it is so important to choose a Christian spouse (1 Corinthians 7:39; 2 Corinthians 6:14). If already married to an unbeliever, they are made holy by the believer (1 Corinthians 7:14).

Our Renewal

How did Paul encourage the Corinthians regarding worldly trials?

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Trials are like servants helping us grow spiritually. Trials are like fire purging us of sin. Suffering is never pleasant, but what ought we to think about, especially when we suffer?

2 Corinthians 4:18-5:1 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Outro

Vilification can become dangerously close to defaming the Holy Spirit. If we are suffering from unfair criticism, let’s remember those brothers and sisters and mothers in the church who love and support us. Encourage one another that persecution is but a momentary pain on a journey to a glorious eternity.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Don't Miss out on the Real Deal

Intro

The commandment against lying protects a society’s integrity, provides confidence in the marketplace and steadiness for the economy. The destructive consequences of lying reach into every corner of our nation and our personal lives.

Goal

Let’s understand the necessity of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth by looking at Mark 3:20-35.

Sermon Plan

We will look at sanity, loneliness, the lord of dung, shallow thinking, small mindedness, missing the real deal, Jesus’ family values, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, carelessness with the truth and the opposite of lying.

Is Sanity Overrated?

When Olympic athletes spend every waking hour training for gold, do people call them insane? When modern citizens spend an average twenty hours a week in front of a television, do people call them crazy? When people study obsessively and receive degrees with honors, are they nuts? If we go to church, read our Bibles and talk about God, why do some people say that we are out of our minds? Is zeal okay, unless it is for an unpopular cause like Christianity? In Mark 3:21 why did Jesus’ own family or friends describe him as mad? If God does exist and if He wants to get to know His creation would that not be the most important activity on the planet for everyone? If that is insanity, then should more of us engage in this glorious madness? Is sanity overrated?

Loneliness of Faith

A seminary professor once said that if your family thinks that you are either out of touch or crazy you might just be a pastor. Do Christians who are sincere about their faith occasionally suffer the loneliness of faith that Jesus also experienced (Mark 3:21)? Depending on the translation, either his friends or his family thought that he had lost his senses at one point in time. The Greek phrase literally means those belonging to him, which is probably family, but could also include friends. Do Christians sometimes feel totally alone, even in their own families, as they are ostracized, belittled or otherwise shown contempt? In a faithless world, why should it be a surprise that the faithful are sometimes looked down upon? While we wait for natural family to come to God, do we have a church family?

Lord of Dung

The Jews mocked Beelzebub (lord of the flies) with the name Beelzeboul (lord of dung), which is the original word used in Mark 3:22. Some Bibles mistranslate this as Beelzebub. Some experts also define Beelzeboul as lord of the temple. The author then explained how the Jews were using this term to mean the prince of demons and later Jesus made it quite clear that they meant Satan. Some scribes accused Jesus of casting out demons by satanic rather than divine power. Jesus argued as to how unlikely Satan would be to cast out one of his own. He further argued that if he can enter a house belonging to a strong man to plunder it then he is stronger than the owner (Satan) and able to bind him. The unstated conclusion is that Jesus’ strength was from heaven.

Small-Minded

Were religious leaders who accused Jesus of having a demon just an ancient example of small-mindedness. Are there small-minded Christians? In theology we call it exclusivity. Only those who have certain narrow opinions are included and everyone else is excluded. What are some reasons for exclusion? Do clothing, tongues, alcohol, baptisms, worship days, music, authority and thousands of other nuances of doctrine excuses to doubt the work of the Holy Spirit among others? Was that the accusation leveled against Jesus in Mark 3:23? He did not fit the narrow criteria of mere human beings and his work was falsely accused of being of Satan. Yet, a third of humanity believes the teachings of Jesus. We may disagree on many things, but dare we exclude any whom God has included? In so doing are we also dangerously close to the unpardonable sin?

Shallow Thinking

Is political campaigning almost entirely about the failures of candidates on the other side? Are Christians who know the truth also tempted to take sides, painting one candidate as good and the other one as evil, when the truth is that all people are fatally flawed? Is this Satan’s game? Does it also enter church politics? Is it that the church is sometimes the Great Whore of Babylon and sometimes the Bride of Christ? Do we easily fall prey to Satan’s tactics? Is his game to expose the weaknesses of human beings, pretending that doing so will protect God’s glory? Is this the root of the accusation in Mark 3:22? Was there a hasty conclusion that because Jesus taught different than accepted traditions, his actions must be evil? Does such shallow thinking cause us to miss what Jesus is doing in the world?

Self-Deception

Even the most intelligent people and the most highly educated on earth are tempted to self-deception due to emotional involvement. Science is hampered by tradition just as much as religion. Medicine is hampered by emotional attachment to established ideas just as much as politics. Ideas which challenge our founding institutions face their greatest obstacle, not in intelligence or education, but emotionally vested interests in earthly crowns. In Mark 3:22 Jesus faced this obstacle as well with the political-religious establishment around ancient Galilee. Their self-deception was not caused by lack of intelligence or education, but by the emotional investment in Jewish tradition. Is the truth often lost to Christianity because of our traditions? Are we more interested in protecting our interests than we are in learning from Jesus Christ? Will we lay down our crowns when confronted by the truth?

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

When comedians make fun of the phrase Father, Son and Holy Spirit I cringe. Why? Because blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the one unforgivable sin (Mark 3:28-29). Let’s read about the unforgivable sin in its context. First why did Jesus say this? We can easily answer that question, because it states clearly why. They were saying that Jesus had an unclean spirit, attributing the power of the Holy Spirit to that of the devil. Who were those who said this? They were scribes, teachers of religious law, who should have known better. And so they did not falsely confuse the Holy Spirit with the spirit of evil out of ignorance, but out of malice. We need to note that Jesus did not directly say that they had committed the unpardonable sin, but they certainly were in danger.

The Deadliest Sin

The sin against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-29) destroys life. How did Jesus describe this sin? The Pharisees said that the good Jesus was doing was evil, and that he cast out a demon by the power of the devil. Did they swap good intentions for evil and evil for good? Were they so spiritually sick that even Jesus could not cure them? Did they even want Jesus to heal them? Were they so bitter that they could no longer see goodness in the world? May we never become so bitter and twisted that we no longer see goodness in people! May we never become so filled with hate that we refuse to believe that the Holy Spirit can move in someone we hate! God forbid that we are so hard hearted that the Holy Spirit himself cannot enter!

Missing the Real Deal

How is it that trained religious leaders like the scribes could end up missing the real deal when they were confronted by Jesus (Mark 3:28-30)? How could Jewish religious training have missed such an important issue like the coming of Messiah? Could a Christian education also miss vital truths? Did Jesus summarize what he expected Christian education to cover in Matthew 28:19-20, teaching our disciples to obey all things that Jesus had commanded his original disciples? When religious education misses or minimizes that vital ingredient it is deficient and produces leaders of the church who are no better than the teachers of the law. Only when Jesus and the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels are made central to our preaching and teaching will we have healthy Christianity. Only then will we not be missing the real deal.

Careless with the Truth

When Jesus warned against blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, it was a warning to teachers of the law, who were careless with the truth (Mark 3:30). Is it also a warning to us? Do we always know all the facts, and are we too dogmatic about our opinions? How many of us have held onto an opinion perhaps even for decades, only to find out in later life that we were dead wrong? Do we wish we had been more careful about the truth? It takes guts and humility to admit that we don’t quite know all the facts. Is dogmatism often a symptom of ignorance not knowledge, because those who know more are more cautious about expressing their opinions? Are teachers of the law still rather hasty today and are teachers of grace more cautious with the truth?

Jesus Defines Family Values

What family values are Christian? The Bible defines family in a number of different ways. Every Christian is pictured as an adopted child into God’s family. Anciently, an adopted child had just as many rights to inheritance as a natural born child. Have we made family names and genetic lineage an idol to be worshiped? How can idolatry be defined as a conservative value? Have family names been used to oppress those It seems that Jesus’ own family were calling him crazy for his religious beliefs. Did Jesus go one step further and change family values? Does this make a conservatives or an extreme liberal on family values? Are not true family values those of Jesus and not the world? Jesus replied that those who do God’s will are his family (Mark 3:34-35). That's how Jesus defines family values!

Outro

Self-deception is rampant in our society. It affects science, politics, medicine and even the church. Self-deception is a mild form of insanity. It causes us to lie and miss out on the real deal. In its extreme it can even lead to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Let us follow the way, and the truth, and the life, Jesus. Don’t miss out on the real deal.

Sermon: Fixing America, Part 9 — The Opposite of Lying

Intro 

The commandment against lying protects a society’s integrity, provides confidence in the marketplace and steadiness for the economy. The destructive consequences of lying reach into every corner of our nation and our personal lives. 

Goal 

Let’s understand how allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth would fix our country and our own lives. 

Sermon Plan 

We will look at sanity, loneliness, the lord of dung, shallow thinking, small mindedness, missing the real deal, Jesus’ family values, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, carelessness with the truth and the opposite of lying. 

Is Sanity Overrated? 

When Olympic athletes spend every waking hour training for gold, few people call them insane. When modern citizens spend an average twenty hours a week in front of a television, few people call them crazy. When people study obsessively and receive degrees with honors, people praise them. However, if we go to church, read our Bibles and talk about God, people say that we are out of our minds. Zeal, it seems is okay, unless it is for an unpopular cause. In Mark 3:20-35 Jesus was described as mad by his own family. If God does exist and if he wants to get to know his creation would that not be the most important activity on the planet for everyone? If that is insanity, then perhaps more of us ought to engage in this glorious madness. Is sanity overrated? 

The Loneliness of Faith 

A seminary professor once said that if your family thinks that you are either out of touch or crazy you might just be a pastor. All Christians who are sincere about their faith may occasionally suffer the loneliness of faith that Jesus also experienced (Mark 3:20-35). Depending on the translation, either his friends or his family thought that he had lost his senses at one point in time. The Greek phrase literally meansthose belonging to him, which is probably family, but could also be friends. Christians can sometimes feel totally alone, even in their own families, as they are ostracized, belittled or otherwise shown contempt. In a faithless world, it ought not be a surprise that the faithful are sometimes looked down upon. While we wait for natural family to come to God, we have a church family. 

Lord of Dung 

The Jews mocked Beelzebub (lord of the flies) with the name Beelzeboul (lord of dung), which is the original word used in Mark 3:20-35. Some Bibles mistranslated this as Beelzebub. Some experts also define Beelzeboul as lord of the temple. The author then explained how the Jews were using this term to mean the prince of demons and later Jesus made it quite clear that they meant Satan. Some scribes accused Jesus of casting out demons by Satanic rather than divine power. Jesus argued as to how unlikely Satan would be to cast out one of his own. He further argued that if he can enter a house belonging to a strong man to plunder it then he is stronger than the owner (Satan) and able to bind him. The unstated conclusion is that Jesus’ strength was from heaven. 

Small-Minded Religion 

Religious leaders who accused Jesus of having a demon were just an ancient example of small-minded religion. Christianity also has its examples. In theology we call it exclusivity, meaning that only those who have a certain exclusive opinion can be included. Everyone else is excluded. Reasons for exclusion seem endless. Clothing, tongues, alcohol, baptisms, days, music, authority and perhaps thousands of other nuances of doctrine are reasons given for doubting the work of the Holy Spirit among others. That was precisely the accusation leveled against Jesus in Mark 3:20-35. Because he did not fit the narrow criteria of mere men, his work was falsely accused of being of Satan. Yet, a third of humanity believes the teachings of Jesus. Dare we exclude those whom God has included? In so doing are we also dangerously close to the unpardonable sin? 

Shallow Thinking 

Political campaigning is almost entirely about the failures of people. Even Christians who know the truth are tempted to take sides, painting one side as good and the other side as evil, when the truth is that all people are fatally flawed. This is Satan’s game and it enters Church politics too. We know that the Church is sometimes the Great Whore of Babylon and sometimes the Bride of Christ, yet we easily fall prey to Satan’s tactics. His game is to expose the weaknesses of human beings, pretending that doing so will protect God’s glory. This is the root of the accusation in Mark 3:20-35. There was a hasty conclusion that because Jesus taught different than accepted traditions his actions must be evil. Such shallow thinking can cause us to miss what Jesus is doing in the world. 

Missing the Real Deal 

How is it that trained religious leaders like the scribes could end up missing the real deal when they were confronted by Jesus (Mark 3:20-35)? How could Jewish religious training have missed such an important issue like the coming of Messiah? Could a Christian education also miss vital truths? Absolutely! Jesus summarized what he expected Christian education to cover in Matthew 28:19-20, teaching our disciples to obey all things that Jesus had commanded his original disciples. When religious education misses or minimizes that vital ingredient it is deficient and produces leaders of the church who are no better than the teachers of the law. Only when Jesus and the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels are made central to our preaching and teaching will we have healthy Christianity. Only then will we not be missing the real deal. 

Jesus' Family Values 

Conservatives define family by a traditional picture. But, the Bible defines family in different manners. For instance, the whole image of a Christian is as an adopted child into God’s family. Anciently, an adopted child had just as many rights to inheritance as a natural born child. It is we who have made preserving historically recent family last names or the vanity of our genetic lineage an idol to be worshiped. And idolatry can hardly be defined as a conservative position. Jesus went one step further and if so-called conservatives really understood what he meant, they would decry him as an extreme liberal. The context of Mark 3:20-35 makes it most likely that Jesus own family were calling him crazy for his religious beliefs. Jesus retorted that those who do God’s will are his family. That's Jesus' family values! 

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit 

When comedians make fun of the phrase Father, Son and Holy Spirit I will cringe. Why? Because blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the one unforgivable sin. Let’s read about the unforgivable sin in its context (Mark 3:20-35). First why did Jesus say this? We can easily answer that question, because it states clearly why. They were saying that Jesus had an unclean spirit, attributing the power of the Holy Spirit to that of the devil. Who were those who said this? They were scribes, teachers of religious law, who should have known better. And so they did not falsely confuse the Holy Spirit with the spirit of evil out of ignorance, but out of malice. We need to note that Jesus did not directly say that they had committed the unpardonable sin, but they certainly were in danger. 

Careless with the Truth 

When Jesus warned against blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, it was a warning to teachers of the law, who were careless with the truth (Mark 3:20-35). It is also a warning to us. We don’t always know all the facts, but are often dogmatic about our opinions. How many of us have held onto an opinion perhaps even for decades, only to find out in later life that we were dead wrong? How we wish we had been more careful about the truth. It takes guts and humility to admit that we don’t quite know all the facts. Dogmatism is often a symptom of ignorance not knowledge, because those who know more are not always so sure of their opinions. Are teachers of the law still rather hasty today and are teachers of grace more cautious with the truth? 

The Opposite of Lying 

Even the most intelligent people and the most highly educated on earth are tempted to lie due to emotional involvement. Science is hampered by tradition just as much as religion. Medicine is hampered by emotional attachment to established ideas just as much as politics. Ideas which challenge our founding institutions face their greatest obstacle, not in intelligence or education, but emotionally vested interests in earthly crowns. In Mark 3:20-35 Jesus faced this obstacle as well with the political-religious establishment around ancient Galilee. Their lie was not caused by lack of intelligence or education, but by the emotional investment in Jewish tradition. Is the truth often lost to Christianity because of our traditions? Are we more interested in protecting our interests than we are in learning from Jesus Christ? Will we lay down our crowns when confronted by the truth? 

Outro 

The spirit of lying is rampant in our society. It affects science, politics, medicine and even the church. Lying is insanity, and causes us to miss out on the real deal. In its extreme it can even lead to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Let us follow the way, and the truth, and the life, Jesus.